Memories of Portsmouth Naval Base and the Historic Dockyard over the years

Early 1960s

My father was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy (retired as Lieutenant Commander) and based at Whale Island followed by a ship berthed in the Dockyard.

At around the age of 7 I found myself despatched on Saturday mornings with my father, just for the morning.

At first we were at Whale Island where I ‘played’ in the office on the typewriter and with different coloured inks and where there was a very nice elderly gentleman by the name of Ernie.

My father one day summoned a young rating to take me to the ‘sweet shop’; this young man was obviously very unhappy at toting a little girl around and was teased by his mates.

On another occasion, having watched my father salute as we passed various naval personnel, I was determined that he would not on one occasion; so as he raised his arm in salute I pulled it down – I can still remember now just how unpopular I was!

I was also taken to see the Royal Yacht, which was moored at Whale Island. I remember asking if we could go on board and being told that we could not.

During this period I was also taken to a fireworks night and children’s Christmas parties (I still have my gift of ‘Compendium of Games’ which has been played with countless times over the years).

My father then moved on to a ship (I forget the name) and we parked the car directly by the side of it.

On one occasion he took me through the dockyard to HMS Victory and took me on a tour of it. I remember standing where Nelson fell and watching and listening to my father in his uniform and feeling that this was a very special occasion and I wished I’d had a camera.
On the various occasions since then that I have visited I have always thought of this one time.

I was also taken on a tour of his ship and to a high point on the ship where there was a single seat in a glass ‘turret’; this I was told was where the captain sat. (This is the version I have fixed in my mind – whether this is 100% correct I have no idea).

At mid morning a youngish man would arrive, call me ‘Miss’ and bring us coffee.
At some point in the morning my father would take me down an external staircase and a man in a small boat would arrive; I was to go with him and he made various stops around the dockyard. This was another treat most weeks. When we arrived back my father was always waiting.

My father would also visit the Wardroom where I would sit quietly in a large chair; other officers in there would scowl and look disapprovingly at me.

I was also shown the ‘duty cabin’ where my father slept when on night duty – I remember thinking that the bed was very strange – it seemed very high and nothing like ours at home.


I have one photo taken of the three of us on HMS Vanguard; I don’t remember much about the visit but I do remember the photo being taken.


At the age of 50 my father retired from the Navy and he died at age 54.


Late 1960s

My mother and I went to ‘Navy Days’. What a wonderful event!
It was to become our ‘annual event’ – for years.

We clambered over ships, were given talks and had a very nice lunch in a restaurant erected on the Quay. There was always music – ‘pop music’ and that made the atmosphere wonderful. I remember on one ship that The Monkees ‘Happy Valley Sunday’ was playing.

We queued and went on submarines – they had notices beside them warning that they were ‘Unsuitable for the Elderly and Infirm’. I was quite worried and asked my mum if she fitted that category? The answer was ‘No’! The submarines were very interesting but I knew that I would never want to serve on one or have anyone I knew serve on one.

The toilets were always intriguing with large Union Jacks. Only years later I realised what they were covering(!).

We went on landing craft trips around the dockyard. This was wonderful because the naval personnel would make it bounce a bit and the spray engulfed us – great fun! Everyone laughed and joked.

I simply LOVED these annual trips and one of my favourites was the deck of the aircraft carrier.


Today

I still love the dockyard!

I love the smell of the ships and the sounds and the atmosphere.

I absolutely love the aircraft carrier and could stand all day on the flight deck. I love them totally. Over the years I have visited with my husband – and we’ve taken our son.

I think it was the year my mother-in-law passed away and our son was aged 7 – we entered the ‘Guess the Name’ of a huge cuddly elephant; it could only be one name – my mother in laws. We won the elephant!


Today Navy Days has changed totally. I think it is ‘less about ships’ and ‘more about everything else’.

Over the years I have enjoyed visits to HMS Warrior, the Mary Rose, the Museum, the Submarine Museum and to Explosion!


The Future

I am already looking forward to 2010 when I can visit the ships again and as with the last Navy Days we went straight for the aircraft carrier and got on within 30 minutes or so – I think we left some 2 hours later! I was in ‘7th Heaven’ having looked around and purchased souvenirs.

I think we walked around the Dockyard about twice and I was visibly tired even in my trainers – at the end of the day.

Written by
Mrs Helen Bailey
13.9.09

The Mary Rose – The Oldest Ship in the Dockyard!

Hello! My name is Simon Clabby, and I’m going to be writing for this blog on behalf of the Mary Rose Museum!

Officially my job at the Mary Rose is Museum Host, dealing with admissions and general enquiries, but I also do costumed interpretation and trail design. I am also involved quite heavily with the Mary Rose 500 appeal (www.maryrose500.org), and set up the 500 appeals Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MaryRose500), Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/MaryRose500) and the flickr gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryrose500/). Oh, and did I mention I also have two degrees in Palaeobiology?

The Mary Rose, for those of you who don’t know, was the favourite ship of King Henry VIII, who ruled England from 1509 until 1547. She was launched in the summer of 1511, and contrary to popular belief had a highly successful career spanning 34 years, before sinking in a freak accident whilst repelling a French invasion fleet in 1545.

She’s probably most famous, however, for being lifted from her resting place in 1982, when 60 million people from around the world saw the large yellow lifting cradle emerge from the depths, the remains of the Mary Rose nestled within. She was put on public display the following year in the ship hall, and the museum, containing some of the artefacts found alongside the hull, opened in 1985.

The Mary Rose Ship Hall has now closed its doors temporarily, so work can begin on a brand new museum, which will reunite the ship and her artefacts for the first time in 30 years. Due to open in 2012, the new museum will have a reconstruction of the ship alongside the real hull, with artefacts on display where they were originally found. At the moment we have 6% of the collection on display, so to have 70% on display in the new museum is a significant leap and it is exciting to think how there will be much more on offer to show visitors.

Along with the 500th anniversary of the ship’s construction, it’s a truly amazing time to be working at the Mary Rose, and we’re all looking forward to 2012!

The current museum will remain open though, and will be bringing to you many activities and events, which will ensure that you enjoy your visit!

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - if you haven't been to this place, you're in for a treat!

Hi, I am the first guest blogger for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Well, if you haven't been to this place, you’re in for a treat.

If you’re a fan of ships and the sea, it’s brilliant and even if you’re not enthusiastic about boats, ships or cannons, I can almost guarantee that after a visit, you will be.

To see the tall masts of HMS Victory, even before you have set foot inside of the Dockyard, it’s enough to lift your heart. Then to actually walk into and on, those famous wooden decks, it’s a magic experience.

On board HMS Victory you can read all about the ship, you can maybe today get a ‘virtual tour,’ but nothing, and I mean nothing, can compare to actually being inside this wonderful vessel.

The cramped spaces, the low headroom of the gun decks, the massive, yes massive ropes, or rather ‘cables’, ropes, which are 12 inches diameter, to haul up the Anchor, the Iron Cannons, the capstan, all just massive pieces of history.

But before you even get to that, the ‘Block’ area, the exhibition of steam driven and iron machines which made all these things, on site, is a great experience, full of information and ‘hands on’ exhibits and you can then see why, with all this technology, even in the 18th Century, Britain really did rule the waves.

Outside, on the dockside, the sight of HMS Warrior, again, just too much to see in a few hours and wonderfully preserved, if that is the right word, but, brilliant iron and wood all coming together to make this a most impressive vessel.

I had originally only meant to spend an hour or two looking at the Victory but, I had, in all, over six, yes, six hours in that yard and even then, I hadn't covered everything, I didn’t even glance at the Mary Rose part of the yard, I didn’t have time left, so a day or even a week wouldn’t give you enough time to savour the delights of this wonderful place.

The staff were all helpful, cheery and full of information, all willing to help with any question that I fired at them.

Highly recommended.

Denis P Gibson. 04 July 2009.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard are looking for other guest bloggers - if you are interested, please contact us on 023 928 94550 or email enquiries@historicdockyard.co.uk

Lord Nelson - Hero written all over his face?

Square forehead, set back ears and a Roman nose – the makings of a hero is all in the face, according to a unique new study released by Wood’s 100 Old Navy Rum. And, to test the theory, it has analysed the face of one of our best-known military leaders, Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson - whose flagship HMS Victory can be seen in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard!

Personology is deemed to be 92% accurate so Naomi Tickle, a leading international personologist, face reader and author of ‘You Can Read a Face Like a Book’, identified the key facial characteristics that epitomise heroism, and applied these to a portrait of Nelson, to see if he displayed the traits, and whether they were common among people in the public eye today.

In her findings Tickle says: “The relationship between the physical facial structure and personality has been well researched since the 1920's. Whether it’s traditionally heroic traits like a Roman nose or more obscure characteristics such as a square forehead, heroic people do share similar facial features, and Nelson is no exception. These are also present on the faces of powerful figures today, whether it’s world leaders, sportsmen, or simply brave people we know.”

The report: Lord Nelson’s Face
1) Roman nose
Good at managing, delegating and overseeing his people.
Also seen in Prince William, Marco Pierre White
2) Square forehead
A seed planter. Liked to initiate the ideas and pass them along to others to carry through.
Also seen on Barack Obama, Bear Grylls
3) Ears set back, low on head
A visionary leader. Would have demanded extremely high standards of his men.
Also seen on Richard Branson
4) Pointed chin
Very stubborn and tenacious.
Also seen in Quentin Tarantino
5) Head wider at the back
Very competitive. He found it irritating when others were slower than himself. Definitely a ‘take charge’ person. Common among top rugby players and footballers.
Also seen on Martin Johnson, Sir Alan Sugar, Robbie Coltrane
6) Exposed eyelid
He liked the bottom line and was very action-driven: “Come on let's go, what are we waiting for?”
Also seen on Sir Anthony Hopkins, Patrick Dempsey, Vladimir Putin
7) Outer corner of eye lower than inner corner
A perfectionist and noticed every move. He didn't miss much.
Also seen on Daniel Craig
8) Oval eyebrow
Good at bringing ideas or concepts together. His thoughts were well organised and express his ideas clearly.
Also seen on Nicholas Sarkozy, Sir Sean Connery
9) Sloped back/high forehead
Extremely intelligent, quick to think and respond in the moment. Good in emergencies could think on his feet.
Also seen on Andrew Marr

So what do you think? Was Nelson destined to be a hero - was it written all over his face or do these conclusions mean that someone who does not have a Roman nose, a pointed chin, exposed eyelids and oval eyebrows cannot be a hero? Were then any heroes in history that had none of these facial features? How do we define a hero? Was it purely that Horatio Nelson’s successful and surprisingly modern leadership strategy made him a hero?

Would love to hear what you think!

Hello all, some of you might remember me from the Celebration of Steam blogs. I’m Terri Hall, the Events Co-ordinator here at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. I’ve been working in this role for just over 2 ½ years now and I still thoroughly enjoy it.

Since Celebration of Steam in May I’ve mainly been working on our next large scale event – Royal Navy Past & Present which is taking place this weekend (Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th July) – blimey the months just keep whizzing by!

This event is organised by us at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and the Royal Navy here in Portsmouth. Our star attraction is going to be the Royal Navy’s new Destroyer - HMS Daring, which will be open for public viewing from 10am – 4pm (last entry) for free. A queuing system to board HMS Daring will be in operation so we apologise in advance for any lengthy queues, but obviously demand will be high.

I’ve been working especially hard on getting a few different forms of entertainment to entertain the queues for HMS Daring, so I think I’ll leave those as a surprise for the day – I hope you enjoy them.

There is lots more going on on site that can be viewed for free as well…

• Performances from the HM Royal Marines Band in Victory Arena at 12:30pm & 4:30pm



• Performance from the PT Display Team in Victory Arena at 11am & 2pm



• A behind the scenes Model Boat Exhibition in the Princess Royal Gallery of the Royal Naval Museum



• Model Boat exhibition from Philip Warren and his Matchstick Fleet, Portsmouth Model Boat Display Team, Portsmouth & District Model Power Boat Club and the Surface Warship Associations



• The Steam Pinnace will be along side the Harbour Tours pontoon for people to view and talk to the crew about this wonderful piece of machinery



• Our Victorian Dockworkers will be working hard across the site as usual!



• The crew of HMS Loire will be press ganging families to join their crew!



• And lots, lots more
  
  Our fantastic attractions are open as usual and tickets can be purchased from the Visitor Centre and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard mobile ticket sellers on Victory Jetty, where HMS Daring will be – so make sure you pop in or see one of our team to ensure you don’t miss out on the fascinating “past” element to this event.
  
  Cheers
  Terri

Let the Steam countdown commence!

Hi all. More up dates from Terri’s land of Celebration of Steam!

I’m still working flat out organising the final bits and bobs for Celebration of Steam 2009, which is only 11 days away now -EEK!!

Here’s an update on what Ivor the Engine’s going to be up to while he’s here…

Ivor the Engine’s best friend Idris the Dragon will be joining us at the event too – he’s flying over from the top left had corner of Wales to keep warm in Ivor’s engine but also to say hello to all the lovely visitors attending Celebration of Steam. So watch out for a red dragon flying over Portsmouth any day now!

The Deck and Fo’c’sle shanty singers will be singing their shanties with Ivor and Idris to fill them in on sailor shenanigans! But also to help Ivor and Idris feel at home they’re throwing in a few Welsh Hymns! So be prepared to sing along!

On board HMS Warrior 1860 a storyteller will be reading Ivor’s tales, these will include “The First Story”, “The Dragon” and “Ivor’s Birthday”.

These story books will also be on sale in the Ivor the Engine merchandise hut along with many other lovely mementos.

One of which is very special – limited edition Ivor the Engine stamps, some of which have been signed by Peter Firmin (the illustrator) himself. So don’t miss out on these as they are highly collectable!

Finally we need our visitors to help refuel Ivor the Engine, so come along and grab a bag of coal or the water hose and learn about what Ivor the Engine need to keep Idris the Dragon’s engine lovely and warm.

And if all that wasn’t enough, it’s only fair that Mum and Dad should sit down and have a drink with Oakleaf Brewery and Olde Joe’s Cider and grab a sausage from O’Hagan’s Sausages to refuel themselves in the Celebration of Steam “Real Ale & Sausage Festival”.

Still lots to do, so expect one more blog before Celebration of Steam!

The next event is steaming in!

Hello again. Thought I’d update you on what I’ve been up to since my last blog, sorry it’s been a little while – busy, busy, busy :o)

I’ve worked my socks off and managed to co-ordinate the logistics of getting the world’s smallest passenger carrying paddle steamer the Medina Monarch over from the Isle of Wight.

With the help of Wightlink providing free ferry crossings and Serco Denholm providing free boat lifting into the harbour via Portsmouth Naval Base we are good to go!

It took some doing but I think having the Medina Monarch at Celebration of Steam offering free trips into the harbour; basically doing the Gosport Ferry loop (without stopping) every half and hour, (subject to the weather) for 12 passengers at a time will show how beautifully she is engineered and will add a great deal to the event.

Another treat for you that is now confirmed to attend is Robert Coles, Sons & Daughter of Shaftesbury, Dorset’s Showman’s engine Quo Vadis (‘Whither Goest Thou’). This was the first and only Showman’s Engine to ever travel to the Southern Hemisphere and back again!

Find out more about Quo Vadis’s history at Celebration of Steam and see her powering our traditional chair-o-plane ride.

Also Ralf Cook’s 1947 portable saw mill is back this year along with Les and Dee Searle’s 1901 Fowler 8nhp Road Locomotive and Crane engine "The Great North". They will be doing live demonstrations of how logs would have been craned onto the saw mill and cut into planks within the dockyard.
For the sausage part of the event we have the world famous O’Hagan’s Sausages of Sussex joining us. They are planning to delight us with a variety of different sausages, one of which will be the Trafalgar 200 sausage which is 90% pork with a hint of Pusser’s Rum for the sailors and a touch of garlic to remind the French who won the battle!

So don’t miss our O’Hagan’s Sausage BBQ, Real Ale and Cider area in Port Arena of HMS Victory.

Still lots to do and things are definitely moving quickly, so expect more frequent blogs as Celebration of Steam draws nearer and nearer!